discard

verb

dis·card | \ dis-ˈkärd

, ˈdis-ˌ\

discarded; discarding; discards

Definition of discard

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to get rid of especially as useless or unwanted a pile of discarded tires They quickly discarded the idea.

2a : to remove (a playing card) from one's hand (see hand entry 1 sense 9a(2)) discarded an ace

b : to play (any card except a trump) from a suit different from the one led

intransitive verb

: to discard a playing card discard at the end of your turn

discard

noun

dis·card | \ ˈdis-ˌkärd

Definition of discard (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : the act of removing a playing card from one's hand : the act of discarding (see discard entry 1 sense 2a)

b : a card discarded collected the discards

2 : one that is cast off or rejected

Other Words from discard Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about discard

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Choose the Right Synonym for discard

Verb

discard, cast, shed, slough, scrap, junk mean to get rid of. discard implies the letting go or throwing away of something that has become useless or superfluous though often not intrinsically valueless. discard old clothes cast, especially when used with off, away, or out, implies a forceful rejection or repudiation. cast off her friends shed and slough imply a throwing off of something both useless and encumbering and often suggest a consequent renewal of vitality or luster. shed a bad habit finally sloughed off the depression scrap and junk imply throwing away or breaking up as worthless in existent form. scrap all the old ways would junk our educational system

Examples of discard in a Sentence

Verb

Remove and discard the stems. a pile of discarded tires She discarded the six of hearts.

Noun

toss all of your discards in the garbage

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Meanwhile, discard all but 2 tablespoons fat from the skillet and return to low heat. — Woman's Day, "Roasted Citrus Chicken Salad," 15 Feb. 2019 Manufacturers on the river edge discard their waste in water that comes out of taps in people’s homes. — Sarah Hurtes, Harper's BAZAAR, "Women Who Risk Everything to Defend the Environment," 30 Nov. 2018 The set design of Shawn McGovern discards conventional scene changes. — Hugh Hunter, Philly.com, "'Chicago' at Broadway Theatre of Pitman: Lots of talent, entertainment," 8 July 2018 Twelve weeks after Mullen’s departure, Fitzgerald discarded the final piece of his recovery from surgery, an ankle brace. — Ross Dellenger, SI.com, "Nick Fitzgerald Rehabs and Readies to Embrace an Offense That Could Make Him Better Than Ever," 27 June 2018 The unnerving visuals of polluted beaches, as well as such figures as the 5 million plastic straws Americans use and discard each day, piled up in the public eye. — Kate Krader, Bloomberg.com, "Paper Straws Are So Hot Right Now, There’s Been a Run on Supplies," 5 June 2018 Brock Osweiler, of the 76.5 career passer rating; David Fales, the free agent former sixth-round draft pick; and Bryce Petty, the recent Jets discard. — Greg Cote, miamiherald, "What makes this the ultimate defining season for Dolphins' quarterback Ryan Tannehill | Miami Herald," 21 May 2018 Old William’s face-off against Dolores’s discarded soldier battalion and his daring rescue of his old pal Lawrence had a hint of redemption to it—but just a hint. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Westworld and the Question of Immortality," 13 May 2018 That’s not to mention the large chunks of plastic debris and—most importantly—discarded plastic fishing nets that pollute the oceans, which animals accidently ingest or become trapped in. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Even the Deepest Parts of the Ocean Are Polluted With Startling Amounts of Plastic," 11 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The only difference being that creatures, enchantments, and artifacts stay on the playing field whereas sorceries and instants are placed in your discard pile, also known as your graveyard, after casting their one-time effect. — Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, "How to Play 'Magic: The Gathering': Everything You Need to Know," 19 Feb. 2019 That’s when Rachel throws out the eight of bamboo as a discard — folding her winning hand, knowing that Eleanor will pick it up and declare victory. — Jeff Yang, Vox, "The symbolism of Crazy Rich Asians’ pivotal mahjong scene, explained," 20 Aug. 2018 Victories have been rare for the Boars, who are usually defeated in regional tournaments, where their squad of onetime discards take on teams for whom soccer is part of the school curriculum. — Matt Blomberg, latimes.com, "There's a reason that the soccer team rescued from a cave in Thailand was so tough and resilient," 11 July 2018 Salsa and tamales past discard date found in walk-in refrigerator. — Robert Gundran, azcentral, "Restaurant with no sneeze guard on salsa bar among this week's violations," 11 July 2018 Amazingly, the latter two were late pickups off the discard pile, Murphy last year, Macoun this year. — Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Red Wings flashback: Mitch Albom on 1998 Stanley Cup victory," 16 June 2018 Matt Albers: White Sox discard making a name for himself with Brewers, stranding 94.1 percent of runners with 0.88 WHIP. — Paul Sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "Astros GM Jeff Luhnow never hides from his own tweets," 1 June 2018 Cooked pork with discard date of April 28 in the refrigerator. — Ryan Santistevan, azcentral, "Mesa eatery left 3-day-old food on deli slicer, among other violations," 16 May 2018 Lines of vehicles waited for their chance to offload piles of brush, old furniture, and other discards. — Janice Steinhagen, Courant Community, "Crews Clean Up Streets, Parks For Earth Day," 2 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'discard.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.